Forming rotors with blades integral with the rotor disk is well known in the art. For example, apparatus for forging integrally bladed rotors from difficult to forge superalloys and other materials is shown in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,557 to Bryant H. Walker et al. In forging apparatus of the type shown in the Walker et al patent, blade forming dies are positioned about the rim of a billet or preform which is to be forged to a near net shape bladed rotor. During the forging operation the billet material is forced radially outwardly into the cavities formed by the blade forming dies. Removing the forged rotor from the apparatus requires removing or moving the blade forming dies from between the forged blades. There is a limit to the amount of twist the blades can have to permit the rotor to be removed without having to destroy the dies. If it is required that the blades have a twist or other shape which is beyond this limit, the blades must be thereafter further formed.
Automated apparatus for performing this additional forming or twisting economically and with precision is not known in the prior art. What is known is to individually grasp and twist the tip portion of each blade with a special plier-like tool. That method cannot be used to control the final blade shape with great accuracy. In other words, the rate of twist in the finished blade and the contour of its pressure and suction surfaces over the length of the blade cannot be fully controlled.